FACING A COMMUNICATION DILEMMA

Nov 08, 2015 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The government has been failing to communicate its ideas to the people. Prime Minister and Minister of Information, Moses Nagamootoo, has admitted that there is a communication dilemma. The government will continue to lose the public relations battle to the PPP if it does not recruit a more effective communication team to distil and counter, with facts, the erroneous information that is being dispersed daily.
While some are dismissive of the PPP’s attempt to spread skepticism among members of the public, others are beginning to see the government in a negative light.
The government communication functions are being poorly handled. Its communication team has not responded either by letters or public statements to most of the false accusations made against the government by its opponents. Meanwhile, the environment has been completely transformed by the expansion of the print and social media.
In Guyana, economic and social conditions are increasingly difficult as public frustration continues to mount against the political leadership which seems oblivious to the realities of the people.
For the past few months, the government through its auditing and Asset Recovery processes has made several public statements about hundreds of millions of dollars in massive fraud and corrupt practices by the last government, yet it has only charged a former Minister and her assistant. Also, the people have not received justice for the transfer of $27 million of GPL funds into the bank account of the former PPP appointed deputy CEO of GPL or for the $942,000 illegally taken as back-pay by a GPL Board member.
In order to win the public relations battle against its opponents, the government has to reassess the skills of its communication team and address the challenges facing the nation. It is clear that the government’s media team is inadequate, incoherent, and uncompetitive. It has not advanced the core functions and objectives of the government’s programmes. The members of that team have taken a ‘hands off’ approach or what is known as the avoidance path which is a disservice to the government.
Fortunately, the nation is not distrustful of the government’s motives and nor is it dismissive of public information. For the government to underestimate the resolve of the people and to ignore its supporters who supported the coalition during the election is a grave mistake.
This is made worse by the absence of trained personnel in the government media and in the communication network. The government spokesmen also have untainted records. Hardly anyone can point a finger at them and so people can take them at their word. At the moment, there is a tremendous trust which makes governing the country that much easier.
There are some key things riding against the government. One is that it has lost the public relations battle because of its failure to embrace and ground with the people. And the government is very slow in providing jobs to the vast number of young people. It cannot be faulted for courting the youths, who are more likely to vote in the next election. However, a government that does not adopt the patronage system is less likely to get re-elected. At the end of the day it is credibility that counts.
The people are still not losing patience; there is no social discontent. Indeed, the slowing down of the country’s economy could result in significant reductions of capital inflows but such is the faith in the government that even more remittances could result. There is a massive drive by the overseas-based Guyanese to come home for the 50th independence anniversary.
Had there not been a change in government this would not have been the case. However, the powers that be must acknowledge that it has not communicated well with the people or has not grounded with them as it should have.

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